


little horse dudes (definitely not knights)

by ratbrain



Category: The Mechanisms (Band)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:41:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27690169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ratbrain/pseuds/ratbrain
Summary: Jonny teaches Tim how to play chess, and their usual chaos ensues.
Relationships: Jonny d'Ville/Gunpowder Tim
Comments: 7
Kudos: 44





	little horse dudes (definitely not knights)

“Okay so the white pieces always move first,” Jonny explained, gesturing to the old wooden pieces that Tim had acquired 100% legally on Velhem for Jonny. 

“Is that why you made sure you sat on that side?” Tim asked, smiling at him. 

“I did no such thing!” Jonny cried, placing a hand over his chest like that was the biggest offense to his character he'd ever heard. 

“You literally said, and I quote, ‘let me sit on that side or I swear I will kill you so bad it takes a week for you to regenerate.’”

“That was unrelated.”

“I’m sure it was. Now how do you play?”

“Well first you have to establish what you’re betting on.” Jonny said, setting down the last of the pieces. Tim hadn’t played chess in hundreds of years, and there was actually a good chance he'd honestly never even played it. How Jonny even remembered was beyond him. 

“Why are we betting on this?” Tim asked. 

“I literally come from a planet built on gambling. Besides, what fun is playing any game if you’re not betting on it? Why else would you even play games?”

“Because I love you and spending time with you makes me happy?”

“Let’s bet an octokitten!”

Tim sighed. Out of everyone in the literal entire universe and this was the one he was madly in love with?

“Jonny what does that even mean?”

“Well you pick out an octokitten, any one of them. I win, and I get to kill it. You win and I have to cuddle it for a full minute, no killing allowed.”

“You know I feel like it’s pretty unfair to place bets on a game that I haven’t even learned the rules of yet.”

“Take it or leave it.”

“I could literally leave. There is nothing holding me to this obligation.”

“Pleeeeeaaaase?” Jonny asked, doing those stupid pleading eyes that he just  _ knew  _ melted Tim’s heart. Bastard. 

“Fine, fine. But no bets until at least the second game. Deal?”

“Yeah sure if you want to play it the fuckin’ stupid way.”

Ignoring that, Tim tried to actually start the game. “So how do you play?”

Jonny began explaining each of the pieces and how they could move. Tim noted that as he did so, he seemed so much calmer. Of course Jonny’s chaotic mannerisms weren't a bad thing, they were one of the things Tim loved most about him actually. It was just different. Jonny talked slowly, with minimal curses, like he was already strategizing in his head. Tim also felt insanely glad that he hadn’t placed a bet, because after watching Jonny he was absolutely certain he would lose. 

“Okay and these are your little horse dudes-” Jonny began but Tim cut him off. 

“Is that really what they’re called?” he questioned. 

“Yes.”

“Really? So there’s rooks, pawns, bishops, queens, kings, and horse dudes?”

“Yeah pretty much.”

“That’s a very...odd naming strategy.”

“Hey don’t take it up with me, take it up with whoever created chess. God probably.”

“Okay one, he doesn’t exist and two, why the hell is he the one in your mind who invented chess?”

“I swear you can’t appreciate good humor.”

“I will kill you right now.”

“Not if I kill myself first!” Jonny said, producing a pistol from somewhere (Tim wondered how he's completely missed its presence) and promptly shooting himself in the head. 

When Jonny regenerated a few minutes later, he was met with the sight of Tim staring at him with crossed arms. “Are you done with the theatrics yet?” he asked. 

“Never, you know me far better than that.”

“Unfortunately I do.”

“Oh come on, I’m great and amazing and you love me!” Jonny said, settling himself down in Tim’s lap with his arms around his neck. Tim smiled down at him, running his fingers absently over Jonny's jawline, which Jonny cuddled into happily. “I do love you, that’s true. Are we ever going to actually learn this game?”

“Hey I’m the one who already knows the game, it’s just a matter of me teaching you. We could get like a teacher student dynamic going on-”

“I already hate where this is going.”

“Come on, don’t tell me you’ve never thought about it.”

“Not once ever actually. You really think I wouldn’t tell you?”

“You can be cryptic sometimes. Also I just realized something.”

“What’s that?”

“You’re from London, how the hell did you never learn how to play chess?”

“Literally what does that mean? I think I played it when I was a kid but I’ve been floating around space with you for a couple centuries, so my memory isn’t exactly perfect.”

“I dunno I thought that was like a big thing over there.”

“It’s as big as it is anywhere in the world? I mean I imagine it could have been way bigger there like, a few hundred years before I was born maybe.”

“Weird.” Jonny said, content enough to let the conversation die there as they began the game. 

As it turned out, Jonny’s chess playing definitely could use some work, considering Tim had just learned a few minutes ago and was able to come pretty close to beating Jonny. He’d lost his queen only a few moves into the game, and had threatened to drive a knife through Tim’s throat when he captured her. 

“Not my fault you’re bad at strategizing!” Tim had said through his laughter at Jonny’s anger. 

“Oh I will so kick your ass!” Jonny said, lunging around the table so the pieces didn’t get knocked over and tackling Tim to the ground. 

“You fight like you play chess!” Tim said as he got his arm down across Jonny’s throat, the lower half of his body pinned in place by Tim’s right leg. As long as he had him here, he figured he should  _ really  _ mess with him, just for fun's sake. 

“Aw, you’re so cute when you’re angry!” He cooed, leaning down to press a kiss against Jonny’s nose. Jonny fumed as he squirmed under Tim’s hold, trying and failing multiple times to reach the pistol on his hip. By the time Tim felt bad and let him up, Jonny was calm enough that he was only crossing his arms and pouting at him. 

“Now if you’re done being dramatic, I do believe we have a game to finish, Jonnny-love?”

There were two specific times in which Tim would use that nickname. The first was when he was trying to be really genuine and sincere and comforting. The second was when he was trying to be a condescending dick. This was clearly an example of the latter. 

A few minutes later and the game was tense. Well, it was for Jonny. Tim had accepted he was going to lose about two moves ago and was just living out the dramatic tense narrative for Jonny’s sake. 

“And you just lost your king to a pawn, the classic Jonny D’Ville move that never fails!” Jonny cried triumphantly, flipping the board over as though not realizing that completely ruined the sight of his victory. 

“Congratulations, you won against someone who had literally never played this game before probably.”

“I think it would kill you to be happy for me for once. Does this mean I can kill an octokitten now?”

“No!”

“I’m gonna do it!” Jonny yelled, running out of the door with his pistol in his hands. 

“Jonny no!” Tim said, chasing after him. And the only response he got was a quick "Jonny YES!"

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> 1\. I actually broke out my chess board for this, so congrats to a mechs fit for being the thing to get me out of my like 6 month long chess slump.   
> 2\. I was debating adding a second chapter where Tim actually gets pissed at Jonny for killing an octokitten and hurt/comfort ensues, but I'm not entirely sure so.


End file.
